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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27006784">CapSwap</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilie_buckarootiger/pseuds/emilie_buckarootiger'>emilie_buckarootiger</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1 (TV), 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Buck and Eddie are not together just yet, Firehouse 118 as Family (9-1-1 TV), I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, exchanging captain</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:27:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,316</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27006784</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilie_buckarootiger/pseuds/emilie_buckarootiger</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Taylor Kelly is back at the 118 and she's producing a new TV Show where Bobby Nash and Owen Strand will trade places for an entire month. Bobby will fly to Austin to take over the 126 when Owen will be the Captain at the 118. </p><p>Or a dad swap between the two Daptain.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan “Buck” Buckley &amp; Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>72</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>342</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Bobby and Owen tell their team about the Captain Exchange</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Bobby Nash received a call from the fire chief, he expected another suspension. It’s the only thing that comes to his mind now when the highest-ranking member of the department personally asked to talk to him. To be fair, the 118 had its fair share of suspension and Bobby is driving to the fire chief office, wondering which one of his team is going to be benched again. None of them deserve it, but life keeps throwing them curveballs so Bobby is just expecting the next one. They are all doing fine lately, at least at work. Sure, half of them still need some serious therapy to get through their trauma, but Bobby trusts them to deal with it. He is about to enter the office when he sees a small red-haired woman talking to the chief and laughing with him. Bobby can barely see her face, but he recognized her voice and he is annoyed already. She is finally leaving the office and the chief waves at Bobby to enter.</p><p>“You remember Taylor Kelly?” the chief asks. Bobby is surprised to see him smiling this way. He knows he should be relieved because it probably means that no one is getting fired, but a reporter is never good news for him.</p><p>“It’s kind of hard to forget her and her cameras,” Bobby says. He is trying his best to keep his tone respectful while addressing his superior.</p><p>“Her news report about the 118 did great for public relations”, he explains. “The department had to cut some parts they didn’t like, but otherwise it helped with public opinion.”</p><p>“Do you want her to make another video? Because I know you liked her work but I can’t say I was happy having her around” Bobby says.</p><p>“You won’t have to worry about Taylor” the chief replies and Bobby is relieved for a moment. But then he opens his mouth again and the relief is short-lived. “You will be going to Austin,” he says and Bobby’s jaw drops. “Miss Kelly had a great idea to improve public opinion. You will swap places with another captain for a month. We already cleared everything with the other department. They are sending their captain on Monday” he adds, leaving no room for argument.</p><p>“Chief, with all due respect” Bobby tries.</p><p>“Captain Nash, your station has not the best records at the moment.” he cuts. “Between your suspension and Mr. Buckley’s lawsuit, you are not in our good grace. Take this as a chance to redeem yourself in the eyes of the public and in my eyes too,” he says firmly. “This is happening whether you like it or not.”</p><p>“My family is here, you can’t uproot me without my permission.”</p><p>“It’s only for a month. So I suggest you start packing because you are leaving in a few days. Unless you are willing to add insubordination to your list.”</p><p>Bobby is about to walk out of the office when the chief adds “It’s going to be a good experience for you and your team. Don’t see this as a punishment, use it as an opportunity to learn a thing or two. I’m sure AFD will be happy to have you there.”</p><p>Taylor is still in the hallway when Bobby leaves the office, but he ignores her and goes back to the station.</p><p>He explains the situation to the team as soon as he arrives. They are all around the table, waiting for a breakfast that wasn’t cooked since Bobby wasn’t there to feed them. Eddie is the first to react to the news.</p><p>“Wait, Taylor Kelly is coming back here?” he says much to everyone’s surprise.</p><p>“Well, I didn’t think that would be the part that bothers you” Bobby teases. “I’m glad you are not too sad about having another captain here.”</p><p>“Of course I’m sad, Cap,” Eddie adds.</p><p>“I’m not excited about this either, but we don’t have much of a choice. The chief sent me the contracts, the cameras won’t be here all the time. They just want to produce an entertaining piece about how a different captain can change things in a station but I think it’s mostly an excuse for Taylor to step up her game”.</p><p>“It looks like she already did Cap”, Buck says. “She was always ambitious and that’s one of the things I learned to respect about her. She went from traffic reports to news reports to producing her own show.”</p><p>Buck complimenting the woman that went Buck 1.0 on him and left him in a parking lot was not something Bobby thought he’d ever seen but he was even more surprised by the murdering look on Eddie’s face.</p><p>“What do we know about the new cap?” Hen asks.</p><p>“I’m going to Austin, so I think that’s where the new guy is coming from.” Bobby answers. He sits on the table next to them and handles all of them the contracts to sign. He didn’t really read them in the chief office before being practically forced to sign his copy. But now that he has his in his hand and a hot-barely-drinkable coffee in the other he reads a paragraph that makes him want to spit his coffee. “What the hell?” he screams to himself but everyone raises their head from their reading to look at their captain.</p><p>“Everything’s okay Cap?" Buck asks, a little worried. The youngest member didn’t even bother to grab his own contract and was reading from Eddie’s as he was close enough to see it. Both his hands were filled with food anyway.</p><p>“The Captain of the 118 would live at the Strand’s house for the duration of the contract” Bobby reads, voice higher than he would have hoped.</p><p>“Does this mean you will have to live with his wife or something?” Chimney asks, his curiosity is picked and he is dying to know more about what already appears to be a month of chaos and fun.</p><p>“His boy,” Bobby says. “It says that the Captain from the 126 added a clause in the contract saying that he didn’t want his son to be alone and that he wanted me to keep an eye on him. I’m going to babysit a teenager?” Bobby assumes. “Thank God the firehouse is the only place I’m exchanging with him because I wouldn’t want to come home to Athena to tell her that some stranger would live under her roof.”</p><p>The rest of the shift goes back without any major surprise. Every time they come back to the house in between calls, Chimney is on his laptop, googling things and laughing, Eddie is even closer to Buck, questioning him about Taylor Kelly even as they step into the showers after a call that left them covered in ashes and sweat and Hen is talking to Bobby while keeping an eyes on the boys, already guessing how insufferable the three of them will be on Monday.</p><p>When Bobby comes home after a long, mostly boring, shift, he feels anxiety building in his stomach at the idea of having to break the news to his wife and her kids. He waits for the diner to be over to start talking.</p><p>“So, the Chief called me into his office this morning,” he says first.</p><p>“Everything’s okay? Nothing to do with Buck I hope? I swear, this boy has been giving me more gray hair in 3 years than my kids in a lifetime.”</p><p>“Buck’s fine. His ex girlfriend, though.” Bobby starts.</p><p>“Abby? She was a sweet woman, until she broke our boy’s heart.”</p><p>“Taylor Kelly.”</p><p>“The news reporter?”</p><p>“It's Taylor Kelly, the TV producer now. She pitched an idea to the Chief and he signed for it with a big smile.”</p><p>“What idea? She’s not gonna film you again, is she?” Athena says in the same annoyed tone than Bobby.</p><p>“I like her” May says before her brother hits her arm for her to stop talking. “What? She’s good. She did some very interesting news pieces and she gave a lecture to my school to encourage young students to go to college.”</p><p>“So what did that angel of a woman did for my husband to look so pissed?”</p><p>“She’s producing a show called the Swap.”</p><p>“I’ve seen an episode” the young woman cuts again. “She had doctors trade hospitals to show how leadership can affect a place. It was great! One of them was super uptight and-” she stopped talking when her eyes met Bobby’s. “Oh shit.”</p><p>“Langage!” Athena says. “Is there something I’m missing?”</p><p>“She’s doing a firefighter version. And I guess I’m the very uptight one.”</p><p>Of all the reactions he imagined all day, the only one he didn’t imagine was the sound of his wife bursting into laughter.</p><p>“Sorry” she says, covering her mouth to stop the loud noise coming out of it. “Sorry, it’s not funny.”</p><p>“It’s really not” Bobby says.</p><p>“I’m just trying to picture you in that show, with a new team. And oh god, that poor captain is not ready to handle the 118.”</p><p>“Hey, they’re a great team.”</p><p>“They’re your kids, Bobby. You love them and I do too. They are great at their jobs.”</p><p>“They’re the best,” Bobby corrects.</p><p>“But they are also a bunch of living disasters. How long has it been since one of them ended up in the hospital? I hope the new cap doesn’t like his hair too much, because he’s gonna end up with a head full of gray hair within the first week.”</p><p>“I was hoping a little more empathy for your poor husband who’s gonna live in Texas for a month with the son’s captain as a roommate.”</p><p>“You’ll do great, honey. I’m not worried about you.”</p><p>
  <strong>Meanwhile, a thousand miles away.</strong>
</p><p>“Are you serious, dad? Please tell me you’re kidding me.” TK whines. He places his mug on the sink and walks toward Owen who is waiting for him by the door to go to work.</p><p>“It will be a nice change, TK. Plus, the department told me I didn’t really have a choice since they needed the money to pay for the House renovation I ordered. Apparently I went a little over the budget.”</p><p>“You spend like half the budget on that fancy coffee maker Judd can’t even get to work without your help.”</p><p>“Stop complaining and move your ass to the car or we’ll be late. I hope you’ll complain less when the new cap is here cause he’ll be the one driving your whining ass to work.”</p><p>“He what?”</p><p>So maybe Owen forgot to mention that part. It was the only thing that had him hesitate before saying yes, he promised he wouldn’t leave his son alone after what happened in New York. He tried to negotiate for his son to come with him but the producers insisted only the captain could come, so he only managed to have the other captain to live with his son at all time. He also knew TK wasn’t alone anymore, he saw the way Carlos looked at him the day he came picking him up at the station. He knows he will be fine but he’s not taking any chances when it comes to his boy safety.</p><p>When they both arrive at the station, Mateo has a hot cup of coffee ready for Owen and TK goes to the kitchen to make himself his own cup. Judd is fighting with the machine and holds his hands up in defeat.</p><p>“I give up. This thing hates me, I swear.”</p><p>“Someone is in a mood” Marjan laughs from her spot in the kitchen where she’s cooking something for breakfast.</p><p>“You’re about to be in a mood when you hear the cap's latest idea.” TK comments. He’s about to drink the coffee he just poured himself when he sees Judd’s puppy eyes. “Did Buttercup teach you that trick? I’m not rubbing your belly if that's what you want.” The dog comes to his favorite firefighter and TK gives his coffee to Judd. “Fine, you can have mine, but only because my hands will be busy doing this.” He says while starting petting the dog.</p><p>“So, what’s that idea of yours, cap?” Paul asks.</p><p>“First, it’s not my idea, it’s the department.” Owen says. “Second, don’t listen to my grumpy son, it will be fun.”</p><p>“What would be fun?” Judd asks, definitely not convinced but his captain enthusiastic tone.</p><p>“Go ahead, tell them cap, we’ll see if they are all as thrilled as I am” TK says.</p><p>“I’m going to Los Angeles for a month.”</p><p>“For a vacation or something?” Marjan asks.</p><p>“For a damn TV show,” TK cuts.</p><p>“A what?” they all ask pretty much at the same time.</p><p>“It’s a captain exchange. I will go to a new station for a month and their captain will come here.”</p><p>“Maybe we’ll get a captain that knows how to read a book” Michelle comments, thinking about the first time they met. He didn’t realise that she had arrived. She has a wide smile on her face and Owen counts this as a sign that she’s enjoying the idea, maybe a little too much. “So, who’s that new captain I’m gonna share the station with?”</p><p>“Robert Nash, from Los Angeles’ station 118” Owen replies and Judd and Paul share a look. They are definitely taking note of that guy name to google for info later. “The cameras would be here a few hours a day so you need to sign those contracts.”</p><p>“And if we refuse?” Judd asks.</p><p>“From what I heard, it’s not like we have much of a choice. But I’m sure you’ll love the new guy.”</p><p>“I’m sure we will. But what if we want to keep him at the end of the month?” Michelle teases.</p><p>“Then I guess I’ll stay in LA, with a team that respects and loves me.”</p><p>“We love you,” Mateo says.</p><p>“Speak for yourself, probie. I might call Robert Dad within the first shift.” TK jokes.</p><p>“Remember everything you’ll do can be caught on camera. I’ll know everything. And I know at least one person will miss me.” Owen says. He walks toward Mateo who’s smiling proudly and puts his hand on his shoulder, before bending to stroke Buttercup “You’re my favorite teammate, buddy.” He says to the dog. The team laughs at the disappointed looks on the youngest member’s face before hearing the alarm.</p><p>“Do we know anything about the other firehouse?” Paul asks when they climbed into the truck.</p><p>“We? <em>We</em> don’t. But I do. They gave me a file with the resume of each member of the 118.”</p><p>“Come on, Cap. You’re not gonna share that with us?” His son says.</p><p>“Nop. That’s what you get from not liking my ideas, son.”</p><p>Paul and Judd exchange another look and TK knows that they are plotting something. It’s not like Owen is the best at hiding secrets and they all know that file will be on the second drawer of his desk. They won’t even need a distraction to get it since their captain will spend half an hour in the mirror when they’ll get back to the station after this call.</p><p>Marjan is driving toward the emergency they are responding to when all the phones except Owen’s start buzzing.</p><p>Paul sent a bunch of pictures in their group chat. Owen knows this chat exists and assumes he’s the subject of half the jokes and memes they are sending but he loves that his team gets along so well so he really doesn’t care about it. This time, it’s not him they are laughing at. Paul just sent them pictures and info about Robert Nash. TK tries not to smile when he reads the texts.</p><p>Paul 🚒:It’s on 😈<br/>
Cowboy Judd 🤠: Let's the fun begins</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Welcome to the 118, Mister December 2003</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's Owen Strand's first day at the 118 and he gets to know his new team.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hanging banners has been a tradition in the 118 since Chimney, Hen and their former teammates hanged one to congratulate Bobby on winning the bet his first month here. They have had so many captains quitting after a few weeks that they wanted to celebrate, mostly by pranking him. So, before he arrived, they used the biggest ladder they could find and hung a white banner that read “You’re still here!!” and threw him a bunch of confetti as he walked in. Buck got his first one a few months only after he arrived. He came for his shift the day after being fired and the red letters formed the words “You’re not fired! (yet)”. It was one of the first times that he felt like it was a real family. Chimney had a few ones too, the most recent one was from when Bobby came back from his suspension and it read “Your reign is over Interim Captain Han”. It was Eddie’s idea. He knew Buck was on sick leave but he filmed the whole thing to cheer him up. They bought enough cakes and banners to be known by the local stores at the point.</p><p>This time, Chimney comes to work early, with the biggest smirk on his face. He is not about to break the tradition, especially with everything being caught on camera. Taylor and her crew are getting ready and Chimney waves at them.</p><p>“You guys don’t wanna miss this.”</p><p>“Get the camera ready.” She orders her team. “I need a strong clip for the promo of the show.”</p><p>Buck and Hen are already next to the ladder, ready to hang what Chimney always described as their best one yet.</p><p>“You’re sure it’s a good idea to prank the new captain?” Eddie asks. Taylor directs the camerawoman to film his reaction as she starts taking notes in her little notebook. “Maybe he’s not as cool as Bobby is” the firefighter adds.</p><p>The second person directs her camera toward Chimney who’s grinning. Taylor circles his name in her notes, hoping that by the end of the month, she will get the juicy reason behind his nickname.</p><p>“Trust me, when you’ll see this, you’ll know he’s not really shy,” Chimney promises.</p><p>“Okay Eddie, now move your pretty ass on that ladder,” Hen says.</p><p>Both Eddie and Chimney climb the ladders on opposite sides of the banner. Buck is not allowed to do it anymore since he proved he’s not capable of hanging a banner straight. So he just stays behind Eddie, having his back from the bottom of the ladder where he thinks about Hen’s comment. She is right, he can’t deny that.</p><p>The banner is a lot heavier than the ones they usually buy. Chimney insisted that it must stay rolled up until Captain Strands arrived. They climb the stairs, eager to start their shift. They all wait on the balcony, the oldest holding on the strings of the banner.</p><p>A car finally arrives, and Taylor keeps one of the cameras on the crew when she directs the second one toward the car. She has seen pictures of him and she picked him for her reason, the man looks perfect. She knows the public will love him and she’s counting on him making a grand entrance.</p><p>Owen gets out of the car, with his Austin Fire Department jacket as she requested in the contract. She was not expecting him to wear such a fit white tee-shirt underneath but she appreciates it. It would look great on the promo. He doesn’t bother to take his sunglasses off, he only moves them down a little to wink at the camera she asked them not to look at. She can cut it off, but she is not sure she will want to when she will check the footage.</p><p>He makes his way toward the inside of the house. He is about to take up the stairs when he hears whistles coming from the balcony.</p><p>The banner unfolds as he walks under it. It’s a huge picture of him from a firefighter calendar, wearing his NYFD pants, with the suspenders touching his bare chest. The text on the banner reads “Welcome to the 118 Mister December 2003.”</p><p>Everyone is laughing, including the man staring at a shirtless picture of himself taken 17 years ago. He runs toward the stairs to introduce himself. One of the cameras follows him when the other is on the opposite stairs.</p><p>“Welcome Captain Strand,” Eddie says first. He stands straight and shakes the captain's hand. The other members do the same, and Owen memorizes everyone’s favorite nickname. Chimney is the last member of the team to introduce himself.</p><p>“I’m Chim-” he starts but Owen cuts him.</p><p>“Mister April 2019. I’m guessing you’re the one I owe that great surprise to?”</p><p>“Huh, yeah.” He answers.</p><p>“Can one of you show me my office and the nearest shower please? I just spent the best part of the weekend in my car and I would kill for a shower, and a coffee.”</p><p>“You drove here, Captain?” Eddie asks.</p><p>“I was not gonna miss an opportunity to take a road trip to our beautiful country.”</p><p>“I’ll give you a tour” Eddie offers.</p><p>- -</p><p>Owen is taking the longest shower, so the crew decides to rest. The cameras are off, or at least off their faces so they can take a break. They are all sitting on different couches and there is still a free one when Eddie arrives toward his friends with a bowl of popcorn. Taylor walks toward them with a gentle smile on her face and Eddie walks faster to arrive before she does. He hurries up and sits next to Buck on the couch. It’s just more convenient to share the popcorn with his team, he tells himself while he looks at Taylor who’s sitting down on the last couch.</p><p>They are eating in silence, not daring to speak while she is here. Buck offers her some popcorn but she politely refuses. She looks even more uncomfortable than they are. Hen notices and invites her to the kitchen.</p><p>“Do you want a coffee?” she offers. “It’s bad but it will keep you awake for a long shift.”</p><p>“Yes, please,” Taylor answers shyly. “I know you guys all hate me. But I’m just trying to do my job.”</p><p>“We don’t hate you, girl,” Hen replies. “We are not fans of having cameras around though.”</p><p>“I thought Buck would be the one hating me after what happened between us.” Taylor says. She looks down at her coffee mug, taking one sip and confirming what Hen told her, it really is a disgusting beverage.</p><p>“Buckaroo is a golden retriever. I don’t think that boy is capable of hating someone.”</p><p>“What’s the deal between him and Eddie?” she asks while turning to face the couches where the three boys are chatting. Eddie is throwing popcorn in the air for Buck to catch them with his mouth. “I feel like he’s gonna murder me.”</p><p>“He’s just having Buck’s back,” Hen says. “We should go back to the boys before Buck chokes on a popcorn or something.”</p><p>They walk back toward the couchs, grimacing as they drink their coffee. Taylor explains some ideas she has and then she tells them that they will turn the cameras back one while they talk about Owen. She sits somewhere off camera and directs her team to start filming.</p><p>“So, what do you guys think about the new captain?” Buck asks. It’s not his natural tone and he has to force himself not to look at the camera. But then Eddie starts speaking and Buck has something more interesting to look at.</p><p>“He seems nice.” Eddie simply says.</p><p>“It’s hard to judge a book by its cover” Hen answers.</p><p>“We all did it with Eddie on his first day” Chimney says. Buck takes a handful of popcorn and sends it on his eldest friend who’s happily catching half of it with his mouth while the rest ends up on the couch. “What? I was talking about Hen’s comment, not about your jealousy.”</p><p>“Okay, first of all, I wasn’t jealous,” Buck clears, shifting a little on the couch to look more at Eddie. He can feel his face turning red from remembering that day. “And second, we were talking about Captain Strand.”</p><p>Eddie chuckles and adds “The man seems okay, we should give him a chance.”</p><p>“You okay Buck?” Chimney asks. “You look like you’re praying for an emergency right now”.</p><p>“Huh. I.” He starts, but Owen is finally out of the shower, wearing another tee-shirt that compliments his body. Buck wonders if this man already took a DXA scan to measure the fat in his body. He stands up and walks toward Owen.</p><p>“I think this is for you, Captain,” Buck says. He holds an LAFD blue shirt, with the Strand name written on the metal name tag on the pocket.</p><p>The captain puts his long sleeves shirt on with the help of his youngest team member. He read a detailed file about these people but he still doesn’t know them like he knows the 126. He chose his entire team, learned to work with them, and even though the idea of the show seemed interesting, Owen misses his team.</p><p>“So” Owen starts, he claps his hands and takes an enthusiastic tone. “Let’s get to know each other a little.”</p><p>“What would you like to know?” Eddie asks first.</p><p>“Come on, guys, this is not a job interview. I just wanna get to know the people who I’m working with.” Owen says. They all look at each other, it’s like the first day of school and no one wants to be the first to introduce themself to the new teacher.</p><p>Buck lets himself fall back on the couch and sights dramatically. He wouldn’t know where to start. So much has happened to them lately. Every person in this room could use some serious therapy and there’s a lot you can’t tell a person you just met. So how can the 118 introduce themselves without talking about all of the trauma around them?</p><p>“Okay, I’ll start,” Owen says when it becomes clear that no one else would. “I’m from New York. I’ve been a firefighter there for two decades.”</p><p>“So, you were there when…” Eddie starts asking.</p><p>“I was.” Owen answers briefly before continuing his introduction. “My son and I moved to Austin a few months ago. He’s a firefighter in my station too. He’s about your age, Buck. Does your captain have kids?”</p><p>“You mean besides Buckaroo, here?” Chimney jokes.</p><p>“Bobby’s not my dad.” Buck pouts. He looks at Eddie, hoping he would take his defense but his friend just holds his hand up and pretends to zip his mouth shut.</p><p>Hen laughs at the three boys and answers Owen’s question “His wife has 2 kids.”</p><p>“Oh she remarried too. I have something in common with his wife. Do you guys have kids?”</p><p>“My wife and I have a son and we are fostering a baby girl,” Hen says.</p><p>“I have an 8 years-old son.” Eddie answers.</p><p>“His name is Christopher,” Buck adds, holding his phone up to show Owen the picture of Eddie and Chris he has on his lock screen. “He’s the smartest kid!”</p><p>“Hey!” Hen cuts, pretending to be offended.</p><p>“I'm sure Denny and Nia will grow up to be as smart as Superman.”</p><p>“Are you two…” Owen starts. He felt like he might have missed some information in his files.</p><p>“Oblivious” Chim whispers and Hen laughs.</p><p>“Buck is helping me a lot with my son. Christopher loves his Buck.”</p><p>“And you, Mister April? Do you have any kids?”</p><p>“He’s dating my sister” Buck answers for him “So if he ever knocks her up, I’d better be the first one to know.”</p><p>Chimney almost chokes on the food he’s eating. Hen gently pads his back. He tells her <em>everything</em>, even the things Maddie made him promise not to talk about. She is his best friend and he can’t keep big news to himself. So she knows Buck won’t be the first one to know about the Hans’ new secret.</p><p>“You are dating his sister? Family dinners must be interesting.”</p><p>“She’s a 9-1-1 dispatchers. So you might get to talk to her while you’re in L.A.”</p><p>“Okay, bonding time is over for now.” Owen declares. “Probie, you start cooking while the others clean the rigs” he orders.</p><p>“Huh, probie?” Eddie asks when he sees his Captain looking at him. “My probation period ended last year.”</p><p>“According to your files, you’re the last one who arrived, which in my eyes, makes you a probie” Owen half-jokes. He knows he misses his probie, and he’s probably trying to find a replacement for them. Judging by Chimney’s and Buck’s laughs, he knows the nickname is gonna stick for a while.</p><p>“Huh, the Cap was usually the one cooking.” Eddie says hesitantly.</p><p>“My house, my rules. Everyone takes turns in my house.”</p><p>“Then you’ll probably talk to my sister soon Captain, cause we are definitely going to call dispatch to report the entire house suffers from food poisoning.”</p><p>Everyone but Eddie takes down the stairs to clean up the trucks. Eddie looks at the kitchen, terrified. Even his kid that never complains about anything told him that he can’t cook. He doesn’t want to poison his captain on the first day. And the show is gonna be broadcast on national television, his whole family is gonna know what an awful cook he is.</p><p>The alarm goes off and puts him off his misery and he runs down the stairs. The team was already cleaning the truck so they climbed before he could even get to them. He’s the last one to arrive so Owen hands him the key.</p><p>“Heard you can’t cook,” Owen says and everyone pretends they didn’t say a thing while they were cleaning the rig, “but I hope you can drive, Probie.”</p><p>Buck and Chimney’s phones buzz from the back seat. Hen looks at the both of them, assuming it might have something to do with Maddie since they both got a text at the same time. She forgot her phone at the station like she always does. Buck shows her the texts they received. It’s from a new Whatsapp group they’ve all been added to.</p><p>Unknown Number: How’s the new cap treating you?<br/>
Unknown Number: Please, go easy on my dad.<br/>
Unknown Number: Yeah, we kinda like the old guy.</p><p>By this point, they’ve all guessed what this group chat is about but they get the final confirmation when they receive a picture of 5 firefighters doing funny faces while Bobby has his back turned.</p><p>Unknown Number: Thanks for lending us your Captain for a month. We'll try not to drive him crazy!!! </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next chapter will be Bobby's first day at the 126!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Welcome Captain Nash</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's Bobby's first day and he is not thrilled about it. </p><p>---</p><p>It’s the bathroom, he realises, a very fancy one. He’s a grown man, he should not be hiding in the bathroom on his first day but he doesn’t want to leave.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It happens as the same time as Owen's first day in LA.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The cameras have been ready for the past hour and the TV crew is walking around, getting to know the place a little. It's a great station, nice and modern, very elegant, a sheer contrast with the simple loft of the 118 Station. Taylor Kelly is still waiting for Owen to arrive at the 126, so she FaceTimes the reporter in Austin to make sure she is ready for the big day. The woman is not a rookie, born and raised in Texas, 10 years of experience in journalism and she produced her own shows for a while. She didn't necessarily need to work on this one, but when Taylor asked her to be the reporter covering the Texan part of the show, she didn't hesitate for too long.</p><p>"Hey, is everything set in Austin?" Taylor asks.</p><p>"Yeah, it is. Captain Nash should be here soon and there's a couple of firefighters getting ready, so I should probably start talking to them."</p><p>"Do you have all the information I sent you?" she asks. She does her best to hide that she is a little nervous, but the woman on the phone can tell.</p><p>"I do.” the woman reassures. “And I memorized every single piece of it. I know everything there is to know about them, I have my questions ready and if you are right, we should have a nice sequence of the Strand son meeting the new captain."</p><p>She hangs up the phone after promising Taylor that everything will be okay. The two journalists started talking a few weeks before Taylor ran her idea by the fire chief. She watched the previous show Taylor produced and felt in love with the idea. That's how she ended up here, chatting with Marjan Marwani over a coffee before the shift starts.</p><p>“I’m Nicole."</p><p>“I’m Marjan-” she starts, but Nicole continues.</p><p>“Marjan Marwani. You’re quite a firefighter.”</p><p>The firefighter is a known face for local media, and it didn't escape the journalist's attention. The last time Marjan went viral was not something she is proud of, but she has every intention to change that. This show is a chance for her to show everyone she's great at her job and she won't let anyone get in the way. So as they drink coffee together, the firefighter is even more eager to ask questions than the journalist is.</p><p>Bobby parks his rental car a few blocks away from the station. He is usually the first one to arrive, but he feels nervous. He doesn’t want to be too early, because he knows the cameras will be on his face as soon as he’ll step into the station. He never met the reporter, but he hates this already. He hates cameras. He can't help it. So he decides to wait in his car for a while. Bobby notices a police car parked across the street and it makes him think about his wife. He texts Athena to let her know he arrived and says that he will call her at the end of his shift.</p><p>Bobby doesn’t know that there’s another firefighter inside the black and white vehicle, and just like him, he is not eager to get to work.</p><p>“You’re gonna be late for your first day,” Carlos says. He looks at the back seat, where Buttercup seems a little more enthusiastic than the firefighter.</p><p>“It’s not <em>my</em> first day. It’s Robert’s first day,” TK whines, opening a few buttons of Carlos’ uniform to kiss his collarbone. “And if I’m late, it’s gonna be your fault.”</p><p>“My fault?” Carlos asks. He tries not to smile while TK's lips are pressed against his skin.</p><p>“You can’t take such good care of me all weekend and expect me to be happy to leave you on Monday," TK pouts.</p><p>Carlos can't help smiling at the 26 years-old firefighter acting like a baby.</p><p>“Well, your father dropped you and Buttercup at my house on Friday. What was I supposed to do? Leave a couple of sad puppies on my doorstep?”</p><p>“This weekend was really nice, though,”</p><p>“It really was. But you two need to get out of this car if you don’t want to be really late,” Carlos explains. He closes his uniform, and looks at himself in his rearview mirror to fix his hair.</p><p>TK puts his hand on the door and Carlos thinks he's finally getting ready to leave.</p><p>“I hate my dad for signing up for this,” TK complains again.</p><p>“Do you know anything about the new captain?” Carlos asks.</p><p>“Nothing. They’ve only sent the files of the 118 members. We didn’t read anything on Robert Nash in the files.”</p><p>“I thought you said your father was the only one with their files?” The policeman questions.</p><p>“I may have found another copy.” TK says hesitantly.</p><p>“Where?” He asks, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>“Uh…" TK starts. He said too much already and he can't back out. "On the xerox machine…” He adds, but his boyfriend only raises his eyebrow higher, so the firefighter continues, “...where Paul and Judd made copies of the entire files my dad received”</p><p>“Okay, babe," Carlos says. "You’re gonna get your ass to work and I’m gonna pretend my boyfriend didn’t confess stealing personal information.”</p><p>They both get off of the car and Carlos opens the back door to let the dog out.</p><p>"Do me a favor and keep an eye on him," he says.</p><p>"Come on, you know Buttercup is the best."</p><p>"Oh, I know, that's why I was talking to him," he pets Buttercup and gives TK a quick kiss on the cheek. “Be safe out there, okay?"</p><p>“You too.” TK runs toward the station with Buttercup. He still has a few minutes before his shift starts and he’s hoping to have some time with his team before the new boss arrives.</p><p>Bobby gets out of his car after he makes Athena promise him that she will keep an eye on the 118. His firefighters are not just his team, they are his family. He walks toward the direction of the station but he realises that he is on its wrong side. He arrived by the small exit door. He knows he needs to enter by the main entrance, where the cameras are waiting to film him, but he can’t help himself. He goes in and quickly makes his way to the nearest closed room he finds.</p><p>It’s the bathroom, he realises, a very fancy one. He’s a grown man, he should not be hiding in the bathroom on his first day but he doesn’t want to leave. He almost jumps when he hears someone coming in.</p><p>“Uh, can I help you?” the man asks.</p><p>“I’m…” he starts, trying to find a reasonable explanation why he is in the station’s bathroom. “I’m Bobby," he finally says.</p><p>“Oh, you’re Robert Nash? The L.A. Captain? I’m Judd,” the man introduces himself. “I didn’t expect to meet you…” he gestures at the room they are in, “here,” he finishes, almost laughing. “The reporter lady is waiting for you, I think.”</p><p>“Yeah, I know.” Bobby answers. “I’m just not a big fan of cameras.”</p><p>“So I guess you’re not as excited as my captain about that whole reality show crap?”</p><p>“You could say that… I never asked for any of this,” he confesses. “I’m gonna do my best to fill up your captain’s shoes.”</p><p>“Well, keep spending that much time in the bathroom and you’re halfway there.”</p><p>As soon as Judd opens the door to exit, Bobby can see the reporter, arms crossed over her chest.</p><p>"Captain Nash?" she guesses.</p><p>"Busted."</p><p>She enters the bathroom and walks toward him with a reassuring smile. Taylor told her that Bobby would be trying to hide from the cameras as much as he could, she just wishes he would have started hiding after he arrived.</p><p>"You know we're gonna have to reshoot your arrival at the station, right?"</p><p>"I thought it was supposed to be reality TV. Isn't it supposed to be… real?"</p><p>"You know what other word is in reality TV? <em>TV</em>. I can't actually do my job without those big annoying cameras around here," Nicole explains. "Taylor warned me."</p><p>"That I was a pain in the ass?" he guessed. Bobby hates Taylor, he assumes she hates him, too. She could have become more famous if she had published the original video that would have ruined his reputation. But instead she released a puff piece about nice firefighters and it wasn't the best way to improve her career.</p><p>"She said that you weren't comfortable sharing personal information," Nicole corrects. "I'm not asking you to. What I'm asking, captain, is for you to make an entrance like you would on your first day on the job. Pretend I'm not here and soon enough you'll forget about us. I've talked to them. They're good firefighters. They're your people now. They rely on you."</p><p>Bobby splashes some water on his face and takes a last look at his reflection. The last time he hid in a firefighter bathroom, he was talking selfies for his dating profile. He came a long way since that day and he should be proud of himself. He jogs down the stairs and finally decides to make his entrance.</p><p>He walks awkwardly, trying his best not to look at the cameras.</p><p>Everyone is in the kitchen when he arrives. It's very different from the 118's.</p><p>He introduces himself formally, shaking their hands as they introduce themselves. His hands are sweaty and the crew is probably having doubts about him already. How is he supposed to have their back if he can't even introduce himself without being nervous? The first time he met the 118 he was sure of himself, almost cocky. He knew he could do it, but he didn't have cameras following his every movement. After Judd introduces himself, he exchanges looks with the rest of his team.</p><p>"You told them, you saw me. Didn't you?"</p><p>"We don't keep secrets from each other here." Judd answers with a smile.</p><p>"That's a nice rule." Bobby agrees. "And you are?" he asks the last firefighter. The man looks more reserved than the rest of the team. He doesn't seem to enjoy the situation.</p><p>"TK Strand"</p><p>"Strand? Like your captain?" Bobby asks, a little surprised.</p><p>"Captain Strand is my father."</p><p>"Oh," Bobby says before understanding what it means for him. "Oh."</p><p>Bobby connects the dots and realizes he won’t keep an eye on a teenager, but he will share a house with one of his men.</p><p>"Yeah. I'm your roommate for the next four weeks."</p><p>“I wasn’t expecting this”</p><p>“Didn’t you receive our resume?” Paul asks.</p><p>“I like to get to know the people I’m working with, and you can’t do that with papers. If we are gonna do this, and make it work, I want to know all of you for who you are, not for what you did in your past. I read the protocols, the rest is something we’ll have to figure out together, as a team.”</p><p>“A captain that can read protocol, how lucky I am” Michelle says. “I’m Captain Blake.” she introduces herself.</p><p>“I’m Bobby. And since we’ll be sharing a station, I suggest we start by sharing lunch.”</p><p>“That sounds nice.”</p><p>“I’ll cook us something, does anyone have any allergy or food regimen I should be aware of?”</p><p>Everyone starts talking at the time and anyone else would have regretted asking this question, because they truly are the hardest crew to cook for, but Bobby always loves cooking for his team. Just by asking that question, he is starting to get to know them already.</p><p>At the same time, Bobby receives three texts from Eddie but he doesn’t hear his phone.</p><p>Eddie: Bobby I need help!!<br/>Eddie: please save me<br/>Eddie: he wants ME to cook cap</p><p>While Bobby starts cooking, Paul takes his phone and enters the phone numbers he found in the files he was definitely not meant to read, he adds everyone to a group chat.</p><p>
  <em>To CapSwap:</em>
</p><p>Paul: How’s the new cap treating you?<br/>TK: Please, go easy on my dad.<br/>Judd: Yeah, we kinda like the old guy.</p><p>The captain has his back turned, so they take this opportunity to take a selfie behind his back. TK is reluctant to do it, but he can’t deny it to his brothers, so he starts sticking his tongue out as Paul takes the picture. Michelle sees them and smiles. Maybe it will be good for the team to have a new Captain for a while.</p><p>Paul sends the selfie to the group chat.</p><p>Paul: Thanks for lending us your Captain for a month. We'll try not to drive him crazy!</p><p>They see someone is typing and they all stare at their phone. TK is worried that the team might not enjoy this as much as the 126 does, but he doesn’t say a thing.</p><p>Howard Han: We can’t promise the same thing.</p><p>The next text they receive is a picture of the 2003 calendar that TK unfortunately remembers too well. That stupid calender was on their fridge for years as Owen didn’t want to take it off.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm sorry for how long it took to me to write this story again, but I wasn't in a place where I felt like I could write anymore. I'm back now, and I'm planning on continuing with this story!</p><p>Thank you Alice for your help and for believing in me.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you like it. I posted about this idea on my Tumblr TarlosBuddie and some of you really seemed to like the idea.</p><p>Let me know if you liked it or not, and what you think will happen when they'll trade station.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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